Against All Odds
by Natara16
Summary: Its seventh year at Hogwarts, Hermione is dropped off by Harry and Ron and must survive the year without them. When the Sorting hat places her in Slytherin, she discovers the person she thought was her greatest ememy, is really her only friend left at Hogwarts. Hermione and Draco struggle to understand their relationship, and learn how they can be together against all odds.
1. Chapter 1

Draco Malfoy walked into the Slytherin common room, exhausted from practicing occlumency with Severus Snape. It was almost midnight, and he had barely made it to the common room without being caught by Filtch for defying dungeons seemed especially eerie and quiet for a Friday night. Draco could barely keep his eyes open, occlumency drained a lot of energy from the person using it, and Snape wanted to be one hundred percent sure that Draco had no weakness in his wall around his mind.

He glanced around him. No one was awake in the common room, which was a good thing. Slytherins tended to ask more personal questions to the members of its house. If anyone had seen Draco walk in after curfew, unanswerable, and un avoidable questions would be asked to him, and he would probably get punished some how by the others for not answering. The paintings on the wall were sound asleep, as was the snake in a cage in the corner. The green chairs and couches that could be seen as you entered the common room were all empty. Draco slowly made his way to the corridor to go to the dormitories.

He was almost too tired to even notice the sleeping Hermione Granger, who had passed out on the couch in the hallway after a late night of studying in the library. It was Hermiones' second night in Slytherin, after she had been resorted by the Sorting Hat. She had returned to Hogwarts at the beginning of the week, when Harry Potter and Ron Weasley had dropped her off, and taken her wand with them so that she couldn't use magic to leave. Snape, who was now Headmaster, had called an emergency faculty meeting, and had even called the Dark Lord to see his input on the situation. After she had been tested with veritaserum, to make sure that she indeed had no idea where Potter was, or no way to contact them, she was allowed to remain at Hogwarts on a probationary status. She wasn't allowed to carry a wand of her own, she had to use a school wand when in classes, and also had to serve a detention for starting late in the semester. Snape had the sorting hat resort her, this time placing her in Slytherin, which caused a huge upraise with the Gryffindors, that the Carrows put a stop to.

He saw her laying on the couch sound asleep and was tempted to leave her there. But then he thought about his experience, when he was a first year, and what the Slytherins did to him. He quickly pushed away the thought, knowing well that as much as he would love to see it happen to her, he couldn't possibly do that to anyone, especially not Hermione. He tried to shake her awake in vain. He sighed, lifting her into his arms. "You'll owe me for this Granger..." He said to himself as he carried her down deeper into the dungeons towards the girls' dormitory. He nearly walked into the boundary line separating the girls' dorm from the boys. No boy was able to cross the line. If they tried the stairs would turn into a slide, and there was no way he could carry Hermione up a slide. Softly cursing to himself for forgetting about the boundary, he carried her to the only other place she'd be safe, his room.

He was chosen as head boy so he had his own private room. It was away from all the other rooms, and it was completely isolated. No one was allowed in or out without Dracos' permission. No one else knew the password, not even Crabbe or Goyle. No one would know that Hermione had ever been there. He said his password, one he got to pick himself, and carried Hermione to his bed. He carefully laid her down on the sheets, pulled the blankets over her and tucked her in. "Goodnight Hermione." He found himself whispering, not even believing that he said it himself. "keep this up, Draco, You'll be put in Gryffindor." he scolded himself.

The room was big, but it only had one bed, and since it was currently occupied, and Draco wasn't going to share a bed with a girl, let alone Granger, Draco decided to sleep in the lazy chair on the other side of the room. It wasn't nearly as comfortable, but it would have to do. He grabbed a blanket from the closet and snuggled up in the lazy chair. "This is going to be a long light..." he thought to himself. Soon after, he was fast asleep. He started dreaming.

_ "Draco's in love with Hermione Granger!" A high pitched yell was thrown across the Slytherin common room._

_ "Draco's in love with a mudblood!" A low, grumbly sneer came from another person in the room. "Draco Malfoy has gone soft!" _

_"Draco Malfoy deserves to be a Gryffindor, loving a Mudblood... Who the heck does he think he is?" _

_"HAHAHA! I knew that he wasn't the perfect Pureblood he always bragged about being, wait until his father hears this," _

_"Even better, wait until the Dark Lord finds out..." _

_Draco was staring down at the common room from his bed. Below him, the whole house was spreading the news, that Draco was in love with Hermione Granger. The common room was a mix of laughter and shock. Draco was shocked. "how did they find out?" He screamed at himself. "Wait, Guys, it's a joke. A joke that Pansy decided to play on me." He tried to tell the people gathered in the common room. His words didn't reach them and they started talking again._

_" I think we should send his father an owl... let it slip that his perfect son has a soft spot for mudbloods." there was murmuring agreement throughout the commons. "Some one get a piece of parchment... this is going to be good." _

_"NOO!" Draco screamed, trying toget up and stop them, but he couldn't. He was stuck on the bed. " Please, don't. I'll do anything!" But they still couldn't hear him._

_The guy with the parchment had finished his letter and had summoned his owl to send the note. Draco was in tears, afraid of what his father would do. The owl appeared and the guy attached the letter and sent the bird off. Within minutes, Draco's Father was there. _

_"DRACO MALFOY! If I hear one more thing about you and that pathetic little mudblood, i will kill you here and now. Now tell me this is all a joke, and I'll leave happier than i am now." _

_Draco tried to tell his father that it was all a lie, but he couldn't say anything. Draco tried to look at his father with a pleading face,willing him to believe him. _

_Lucius Malfoy looked disgusted with his son. He raised his wand and pointed it at Draco's chest. "AVADA KEDAVRA!" He screamed. Draco saw the jet of green light coming at him and then all was black._

Draco awoke with a jolt. He looked around, panicking, until he realized it was just a dream. He relaxed, and looked at his alarm clock. It was four am, and there was no way Draco was going to go back to bed. Draco got out of his lazy chair and stretched himself out. He threw a quick glance at the bed where the sleeping Hermione laid. "She looks like an angel" his soft side whispered. He sighed, knowing that she would never be his. He looked away and rummaged through his trunk for clean clothes. He grabbed a white shirt and khakis and stepped inside his private bathroom for a shower.


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione woke up when she heard an alarm clock blaring next to her head. She instinctively pushed the sleep button, pulled the blanket up over her eyes and turned to make herself comfortable on the bed. 'Bed?' She thought to herself, realizing that she was not where she fell asleep last night. She knew she had fallen asleep on the couch in the Slytherin common room, how did she end up on a bed? A very soft, and very good smelling bed at that. She jumped up and looked around.

She was definitely not in the common room, or a dorm room either. The room looked too nice. The walls were green, and there was just the one bed, with an empty lazy chair next to it. "Where am I?" She asked the room. She never expected a response, especially not one from Draco Malfoy.

"The Slytherin room for the head boy. It was the only place I could think you could stay. " he said, stepping out of a door near the bed. His blond hair was messy and wet, he clearly had just taken a shower. He was wearing a white button up shirt with half the buttons undone so Hermione could see his chest.

Hermione jumped. "Draco?!"

"Well It's certainly not the tooth fairy. Yes it's _Draco_. Who'd you expect? Potter? Weasley?"

Hermione blushed. "I- well I wasn't expecting you... That's for sure." She took in her surroundings better. She was definatly where Draco said she was. The room was huge, much bigger than a dorm room could ever be. It had its own bath, its own mini kitchen, and enough space to keep a three-headed dog. She had always dreamed of being in a head girls room, but never expected to be in a boys. There was one thing that was bothering her. "Why did you bring me here anyway? Do you want everyone to think that there is something going on between us?"

It was Draco's turn to blush now. "Of course not Granger. I had a lapse in thought and figured I might as well be nice to you, concidering it is your first week in Slytherin, don't worry it won't happen again. Next time, you can stay in the common room, and you'll see I did you a favor, one you'll pay me back for. See, Slytherins are not like Gryffindors Granger, they won't just ignore you if you fall asleep on the couch… they like to have some fun. You can leave now." He was being cocky, like Draco always was.

Hermione didn't move from her spot on the bed. "Why?" She asked him, confident that she would get an amswer out of him eventually. "Why did you bring me here and not leave me in the common room? Why would you help me? Why are you so–"

Draco cut her off. "I thought I told you to get out. I don't need to explain myself to anyone, especially not a mud blood like you." He hadn't meant to sound harsh to her but he knew that it was the only way to get her to leave, and he needed her gone before he did something they both would regret.

"I may be a mud blood, but at least I don't think I'm better than everyone else." Hermione stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. She took off running down the hallway, through the common room and out the portrait. She didn't know where she was going until she reached it… The Room Of Requirement. She sat down in a corner and put her head in her knees and cried.

"Calm down Hermione, it's just Draco Malfoy, the biggest jerk you've met. Don't let him get to you… Don't give him the satisfaction of making you cry, he's not worth your tears, he's not worth you." She tried to get herself to stop crying.

Suddenly, she heard a snap in front of her. Startled, she looked up to find Dobby the house elf staring at her wearing the pillow case, a black sock, and a knitted orange and yellow hat. "Hello Hermione Granger. Dobby came to help you. Why are you sad?"

Hermione wiped away a tear that was cascading down her face. "Hello Dobby, It's nice to see you. I'm fine, it's just… Draco Malfoy…" She tried to hold back her sorrow, so Dobby wouldn't see but she couldn't.

"Master Draco? What did he do to you?" Dobby asked her curiously.

"He… look, Dobby, I really don't mean anything bad by this, but I really don't want to talk about it."

"Dobby understands. Dobby would like to tell you that he has kept an eye on Master Malfoy, he was most kind to Dobby. Dobby heard him talk very fondly of you Hermione. Very fondly indeed." Dobby nodded his head in enthusiasm.

"Really?" Hermione asked questionably. When Dobby nodded she asked "Is there anything else you would like to tell me Dobby?" She was hoping it would be more about how Draco spoke fondly about her, as she was rather curious to hear that.

"Oh yes, Dobby almost forgot. Dobby saw Harry Potter. He told Dobby to tell give you this." Dobby pulled out a letter for Hermione. "He said it was urgent that I get it to you as fast as Dobby could."

"Thank you Dobby." Hermione grabbed the parchment. She didn't want to read it, as she was still mad at Harry for leaving her at Hogwarts without her wand while Snape was Headmaster. She expected Dobby to leave, but he didn't. "Is there more?"

Dobby nodded, grabbing her wand out of his pocket." Harry Potter told Dobby to give you this as well."Dobby handed her the wand. "Dobby must go now; The Headmaster would like a word with Dobby. Bye Hermione." Dobby disappeared with a snap, leaving Hermione alone.

She hugged her wand. She really had missed it. She looked at the letter in her other hand. She was still mad at Harry for abandoning her. She decided that she would at least read the letter, no harm could come from reading. She unfolded the paper.

_Dear Hermione,_

_Look, I really am sorry we just dropped you off at Hogwarts like that, it wasn't fair of us, I know. It was all Ron's idea. (well, I was the one that decided to take away your wand… but im giving it back see?)I just wanted to tell you that we are both fine… we nearly got caught by a couple of snatchers, but we got away. You would have loved to see the look on Rons' face when I told him I was going to write you a note… He's standing over my shoulder now, making sure that I don't give anything away. You can't come, no matter what Hermione. It's gotten too dangerous, and I do not want you to get hurt… neither does Ron. Don't get me wrong, we miss you… Ron got splinched again, but thankfully it wasn't bad so I fixed him up, but it would have been better if you had been there to help. We found another you know what… it was… well, Umbridge had it, that's all I can say. I suspect it'll be in the Prophet soon… We miss you, but we know you can handle it on your own at Hogwarts… Wow, I bet its changed with Snape as Headmaster huh?_

_Love and miss you, Harry_

_P.s. Don't reply, it's too dangerous._

Hermione sighed. "You have no idea Harry…" she said. The letter had given her some confidence back. She got up, tucked her wand and the note in her robe pocket and headed back to the Dungeons. She was going to pay Draco a visit.


	3. Chapter 3

After Hermione stormed out, Draco slammed his fist against the wall, "Idiot!" He yelled at himself. "Now you've gone and ruined any chance you had with her. Great, just freaking great. Now what are you going to do?" He started pacing back and forth throughout the room. The clock on his wall signaled six am. Draco ran his fingers through his still damp blond hair. "How are you ever going to make this up to her?

A knock on the door stopped him. "Crabbe, Goyle, I thought I told you never to knock on my door before noon." He walked to the door, "You better get your ass away from this door before I open it or I'll curse your ass into next week." Draco opened the door to see a startled Hermione standing in front of him. "Umm... Sorry, I thought it was Crabbe or Goyle… What do you want?" They stood in his doorway for quite some time. Draco was looking Hermione over. Her robes were still messy from the way she was sleeping, her jacket thrown carelessly over her shoulder. Her long curly brown hair was tousled, and her eyes were very red and puffy. She'd been crying, a lot.

"I... I uh left my jacket in your room." Hermione stuttered, glancing at the floor. She could tell that Draco was checking her out, and she didn't entirely know what to do or think about it. The jacket was clearly a lie, as Draco could see it hanging over her shoulder. The jacket had been the first thing that Hermione had said, and she didn't think it through. He face grew red and she bit her lip, silently yelling at herself for making her look so stupid. Hermione looked up, into Dracos' eyes and it took all the restraint that Draco had not to kiss her then and there.

Draco suddenly burst out laughing. "Sure come on in sweet heart, I'll go get it for you." 'You've lost your mind now Draco' He was still laughing as he turned to look for her "missing" jacket. 'Why would she create a lie just to come back here?' Draco wondered to himself as he searched. He came to the conclusion that it was all either a joke, or a dream. After ten minutes of looking and finding nothing, (Draco had wanted to stall to make himself completely sure that she wasn't going to walk out) Draco left the bedroom to find Hermione.

She was staring at the photos of Draco when he was younger that were hanging on the wall in the kitchen when he walked in. She didn't look up when he walked into the room, she was obviously thinking hard about something. Draco bit his lip, trying hard not to tell her leave again. He wasn't used to people looking at his things, or being anywhere near them for that matter. Having nothing else to do, Draco looked at the photos as well, remembering how each one happened. There was only one photo on his wall that had his Father in it, and it was only because his Father had visited and had scolded and beat Draco until there was a picture of him on the wall. Draco winced, remembering how hard his father's fists had connected to his side, face and stomach.

Attempting to stop the memory, Draco glanced at Hermione, who was still staring at the pictures as if her life depended on it. Draco thought of the Yule Ball back in fourth year. He had been standing at the bottom of the stairs waiting for Pansy Parkinson to come out from one of the storage closets, she had said it would be more "romantic" for her to descend the staircase. While he was waiting, a girl with long brown hair put up so beautifully that it fell perfectly around the outline of her face. She was wearing the most beautiful dress he had ever seen, a pink ball gown that fit her perfectly. Everyone was staring at her, even the girls, who were envious of her. Draco had stared at her until Pansy Parkinson dragged him away, angry that he had totally forgotten about her. Hermione had never made Draco think that she was beautiful until then, and now, he couldn't help but look at every little thing about her and fall deeper into the depths of unreciprocated love.

When Draco let the memory slide away from him, he realized that Hermione was now staring at him, a questioning look on her face. "I couldn't find your jacket." He said, breaking the awkward silence that had surrounded them, still staring at her.

Hermione sighed. "Oh, its ok, I must have…" She let her voice trail away. Something new had gotten to her. His stare was menacing, and was beginning to put her on edge. "What are you staring at?" She asked him, focusing completely on returning his stare.

Draco blushed; he hadn't expected her to ask him that. He swallowed his fears and took her hand in his. When she gasped, but didn't attempt to pull away, Draco put his other hand below hers, holding it like it was a glass cup that would break if he didn't hold on to it carefully. He kept his gaze completely on her, and watched as she tried to figure out what he was going to do. Of course she didn't know Draco Malfoy has a soft side. He rarely showed it. The only other person that got to see his soft side was his mother.

Draco stood there for a minute, trying to collect in his mind an answer that would be good enough to explain why he was holding her hand. His mind clicked and he came up with a perfect answer, one that he hoped would make up for his actions earlier today as well. "I'm staring at the love of my life." He said, his voice just above a whisper, so only she could hear it.

Hermione's eyes widened in shock and in amazement. Every nerve in her body screamed at her to say something back, something that meant the same thing, but she couldn't. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She was stunned speechless by Draco Malfoy, Slytherin bad boy, who was finally letting someone in.

Draco looked at her, fear racing through his mind. "I don't expect you to feel the same way Hermione, I just felt like I should tell you, it's a lot easier than hiding my feelings. You're the only person that I've ever felt this way about, and I don't even care that you don't return the feeling or that youre a mu—muggleborn. I know you and Ron are together, but I also know that you don't trust Ron as much anymore, and I guess I just figured that by the way you willingly came back, to have me search for a jacket that is still hanging on your shoulder, that maybe you felt the same way… But I know I was wrong now, and I promise I'll try not to bother you with my feelings or with snide remarks ever again and I know-" Draco was interrupted when Hermione's lips brushed up against his.

**Authors note:** This is my first ever dramione fic,I've had the idea for a while, and i hope you enjoy it. Reveiws = love :)


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